The following table describes the choices Microsoft Access provides for different types of data that may be stored in a table field.
| Setting | Type of data | Size |
| Text | Text or combinations of text and numbers, as well as numbers that don't require calculations, such as phone numbers. | Up to 255 characters, as specified in the FieldSize property. Any unused portions of a text field does not waste space in the database. |
| Memo | Lengthy text or combinations of text and numbers. | Up to 65,535 characters. |
| Number | Numeric data used in mathematical calculations. See the Number field size table below for more details. | 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes (16 bytes if the FieldSize property is set to Replication ID). |
| Date/Time | Date and time values for the years 100 through 9999. | 8 bytes. |
| Currency | Currency values and numeric data used in mathematical calculations involving data with one to four decimal places. Accurate to 15 digits on the left side of the decimal separator and to 4 digits on the right side. | 8 bytes. |
| AutoNumber | A unique sequential (incremented by 1) number or random number assigned by Microsoft Access whenever a new record is added to a table. AutoNumber fields can't be updated. | 4 bytes (16 bytes if the FieldSize property is set to Replication ID). |
| Yes/No | Yes and No values and fields that contain only one of two values (Yes/No, True/False, or On/Off). | 1 bit. |
| OLE Object | An object (such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, a Microsoft Word document, graphics, sounds, or other binary data) linked to or embedded in a Microsoft Access table. Hyperlink Text or combinations of text and numbers stored as text and used as a hyperlink address. A hyperlink address can have up to three parts: text to display— the text that appears in a field or control. address— the path to a file (UNC path) or page (URL). subaddress— a location within the file or page. screentip— the text displayed as a tooltip. The easiest way to insert a hyperlink address in a field or control is to click Hyperlink on the Insert menu. Each part of the three parts of a Hyperlink data type can contain up to 2048 characters. | Up to 1 gigabyte (limited by available disk space) |
| Lookup Wizard | Creates a field that allows you to choose a value from another table or from a list of values by using a list box or combo box. Clicking this option starts the Lookup Wizard, which creates a Lookup field. After you complete the wizard, Microsoft Access sets the data type based on the values selected in the wizard. | The same size as the primary key field used to perform the lookup, typically 4 bytes. |
The Number data type allows you to specify different values for the Field Size property. These values are described below.
| Setting | Description | Decimal precision | Storage size |
| Byte | Stores numbers from 0 to 255 (no fractions). | None | 1 byte |
| Decimal | Stores numbers from –10^28–1 through 10^28–1 | 28 | 12 bytes |
| Integer | Stores numbers from –32,768 to 32,767 (no fractions). | None | 2 bytes |
| Long Integer | (Default) Stores numbers from –2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 (no fractions). | None | 4 bytes |
| Single | Stores numbers from: –3.402823E38 to –1.401298E–45 for negative values 1.401298E–45 to 3.402823E38 for positive values |
7 | 4 bytes |
| Double | Stores numbers from: –1.79769313486231E308 to –4.94065645841247E–324 for negative values 4.94065645841247E–324 to 1.79769313486231E308 for positive values |
15 | 8 bytes |
| Replication ID | Globally unique identifier (GUID) | N/A | 16 bytes |